The Fox and the Mouse
by ProvenZombie
Summary: When Naruto first entered the academy he might have been seated anywhere in the classroom, and perhaps in some other universe he was seated next a wierd, timid girl named Hinata Hyuuga. How much of an effect could such a minor thing really have?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto in any way, shape or form, or anything related to it, I just love it to bits. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

**Welcome to my first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it. I really like the NaruHina pairing, and although I've been reading fanfic for years, I never got around to writing any until now. The idea and inspiration for the fic is actually from Shawny Wong's fic _One Small Step _(Which, incidentally, you should totally go and read right now)_. _I really wanted to run with the idea of Hinata and Naruto making friends while still in the academy, and how that might change things, but I intend to go in a different direction than they took. I don't intend to have too much action in this, because I'm terrible at writing action scenes and I know it, and I also don't know how long this will go on for, because I tend to write without much in the way of an outline. But hopefully there's somebody out there who might like this. So without further ado, here's my story:**

**Chapter One**

Hyuuga Hinata watched from afar. The blond boy sat on the swing, alone. Every time she and her mother walked past the playground he was there. He was always sitting by himself, trying to swing. He didn't quite seem to have the hang of it, and could never gain much speed, so he always ended up rocking gently, feet scraping the ground and head hung low. There was never anyone to push him. Even though the park was usually packed with children and their parents, whenever the boy was there the park would be empty.

The first time she had seen him she had asked her mother where his parents were, but she had just given the boy a dirty look and hurried both of them away, telling Hinata not to talk to him. Hinata didn't understand. It was the same look she had been given when she'd been caught stealing chocolate candy from the kitchens. Had the boy been very naughty? Maybe he had to stay there until he was good. But day after day, week after week, he was still there by himself. Surely no-one could be that naughty, could they? It made her feel ever so sorry for him that she just wanted to go and play on the swings with him, so that just for once he might have someone else to play with.

On this day she was by herself. Her mother and she had gone to buy supplies for the Academy, where she was starting in less than a week. She had been fitted for some new clothes, and the nice man at the weapon shop had tested her with shuriken and kunai in order to make some practice ones that were ideally balanced for her (her father had insisted that they would be better for her training than buying regular discount blunted weapons). Then they had been for a nice meal at one of Konoha's more upscale restaurants before buying her a new copy of every book and scroll on the Academy's syllabus. Then her mother had announced that she had some more shopping to do and that, since the Hyuuga compound was only ten minutes walk away and it was a lovely sunny day, it would be ok for her to walk home by herself, as long as she didn't stop at all.

She had intended to follow that rule right up until the moment she had seen the boy on the swing. He was staring at the ground and dragging his feet, just like normal. His yellow-blond hair stuck out wildly in all directions. It looked like he had never brushed it, and then after it had never been brushed he had been dragged backwards through a hedge. He was wearing a ragged black t-shirt with an odd spiral emblem on it, and shorts that looked far too big for him. Even from a distance she could see that he was bare-footed.

She watched him from the behind a small hedgerow running parallel to the path, hoping that he hadn't seen her yet. She had never been very good around other children, partly because she'd very rarely left the Hyuuga compound as a child, and then only to visit other noble families. In fact she hadn't played with any other since her uncle died and Neji stopped coming to see her, the last time they had visited another family Uchiha Sasuke had mostly ignored her to follow his big brother around begging him to show them some jutsu. She was too nervous to go out and speak to the boy on the swing, but if she tried to leave he might see her, and then he might try and speak to her, and she'd get in trouble if her mother saw her. So for a few minutes she crouched behind the bush until the silence was shattered.

"Did you want to go on the swing?" For a minute she didn't understand where the voice was coming from, until she realized that the boy himself was talking to her. She didn't react, staying hidden behind the bush. She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping that the maybe she'd made a mistake, and the boy was actually talking to someone else, not that there was anyone else there to talk to.

There was a slight breeze, and she felt a presence in front of her. She tentatively cracked one eye slightly open. There was a large pink blur with yellow hair a few inches from her face. She could feel someone's breath on her face. Blushing, she opened her eyes. The boy was right there, crouching down on four hands in front of her, so close that she swore she could feel warmth radiating from his skin, although it might just have been her own blushing cheeks. His wide blue eyes scrutinized her, and she noticed that he had odd whisker-like birthmarks on both cheeks. There was a strange expression on his face. It was almost like he was trying to glare at her, but couldn't quite muster up the hatred necessary to do it. She withered under his gaze none-the-less.

"I asked if you wanted to go on the swing, because I can leave if you don't want me there." He said. This was it. This was her chance. She could tell him that she would love to use the swing, but he didn't have to leave. She had wanted to play with him, and here was a golden opportunity that might never be repeated. Her mother wasn't here, so she didn't need to worry about that. The people at home weren't expecting her to come back until her mother did. She could play on the swings for a while and no-one would ever know about it. And there wouldn't really be any harm in it, would there? It wasn't like he could be dangerous; he only looked about her age.

And yet, she couldn't quite muster up the courage. She couldn't even make eye contact. Somewhere in the back of her mind was a little voice saying that her mother knew what was best for her, and that she didn't like or trust this boy and Hinata shouldn't either. And she would be in so much trouble if she was discovered any way. Even worse, now that the moment came she couldn't face her own nerves, which were screaming at her to run in the other direction. She struggled for what seemed like an age, before realising that the boy was still giving her a weird look. The balance tipped in her mind. She had always been shy and timid, and now would be no exception.

She shook her head, and immediately regretted it. The expression on his face looked dejected, but he quickly covered it up. The boy straightened up, and stuck his hands in his pockets. He trudged back over to the swing, shoulders slumped. Hinata shakily got to her feet and dusted herself off. She left with one glance backwards at the boy, who was again slowly swinging, staring at the ground.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto counted blades of grass. He had reached three hundred and ten when he was distracted by a growing realization that he was being watched from behind a hedge. It was probably one of the other village kids. None of them would ever come into the park when he was there, but sometimes they would wait outside the fence until he left. If he hadn't been feeling annoyed he would probably just have left and let them have the swing, instead of going to see who it was. The last time he'd gone to speak to one of the children the boy's father had chased him down the road with his dog snapping at Naruto's heels. He didn't see any adults around though, so he chanced it.

He was a little surprised to see that it was that weird girl with no pupils who always walked past with her mother. He had seen her staring at him before. She was just like the others. None of them would come near him, especially if their parents were there too. Even the children in the Konoha Orphanage wouldn't speak to him if they could possibly avoid it. Maybe that was why he spent all his time at the park. Whenever he tried to talk to them they would pretend they couldn't hear him, or run out of the room, or sometimes shout at him to shut up.

The girl claimed she didn't want the swing, but he was sure it was just an excuse for her to leave. None of them ever wanted to be near him. Perhaps she thought that it would be bad enough just sitting on the swing he was sat on. Still, he thought, maybe he should just have moved, at least then someone would have got to have fun on it. For a second he had been sure, absolutely convinced, that she was going to come and swing with him, and perhaps they could talk to each other, or play ninja tag, or whatever else it was that friends did with each other. But his hopes were dashed.

Naruto was confident that his luck was about to change though. He would definitely make some friends soon; there was no way he couldn't. He was entering the Academy in less than a week. Only that morning the Orphanage Director, himself a retired ninja of some renown, had given him a small amount of money from the village, with instructions to buy the equipment he would need. Some books, sparring pads, kunai and shuriken and holsters to keep them in. He knew that he should muster the courage to actually go into the shopping district before all the shops closed, but he didn't really feel like moving yet.

After a few more moments counting grass, Naruto nimbly leaped off the swing, landing lightly on his bare feet. His sandals had been thrown onto the roof of the orphanage. He knew who'd done it, but he couldn't prove anything, and there was no way that Director Hozuki would believe his word over that of another orphan there. Hozuki was one of the only people that Naruto could remember who had ever treated him nicely at all, but even that had limits.

He trudged towards the centre of the village. The streets were packed with people going about their daily business, but he found that he always had plenty of room to walk, no-one would come near him. He stared at the ground, hands in his pockets, avoiding looking at anyone or anything.

He didn't notice the woman coming the other way until he'd already bumped into her. He was knocked backwards and to the ground, landing painfully on his behind. He looked up. A cruel-looking woman with eyes without pupils looked down at him with an expression of disgust evident on her face. It was the mother of the girl he had just seen.

"Watch where you walk, you piece of trash." She sneered, coldly. She went to walk on until Naruto, in a moment of utter madness, spoke. Naruto realised that if he told this woman about her daughter at the park, she might take the girl there. That would be a nice thing to do, wouldn't it? And he was sure that doing nice things would get people to be friends with you. Well, he supposed it was, although it wasn't as though he had any way to be sure. Still, what could it hurt to try?

"Umm…" He started. She looked back, disbelief written on her features. It was clear that she had never entertained the notion that someone like Naruto might talk to her. She was frozen to the spot, glaring daggers at him. Naruto, missing all of the warning signs, boldly continued talking. "Umm…" Ok, so continued talking might have been an exaggeration.

"If you have something to say to me then spit it out." The woman went on. "And it had better be an apology for running into me." Naruto cringed. This woman was scary.

"Well… it's not that." He started. "Umm… I think your daughter wanted to go the park." At the very mention of her daughter the woman's face creased in fury, and Naruto knew he had made a big mistake.

"You'd better not have gone anywhere near her, you stupid demon-child!" Naruto flinched. He was burning with shame. He wanted to turn and run, but he soldiered on, desperate to fix the mistake.

"No. That is…well she was watching me when I was on the swing, and I asked if she wanted me to go away so she could use it, but she said no and then left, but I think that she really did want to use it but just was trying to be nice." He paused for breath. The furious expression on her face had been replaced with another somewhere between abject horror and homicidal rage, and he knew that he had only made things worse.

_Damn. _He thought. _Why is it that I only ever make things worse? I was just trying to be nice. Stupid lady, why couldn't she just have ignored me like everyone else? _

"If I find that you even so much as looked at Hinata, you'll be out of this village before you can blink, boy." She yelled. "And if you ever talk to her, you won't just be out of here, I'll kill you myself." She strode past him, looking imperiously into the distance.

Naruto sat where he'd fallen in the road. No-one stopped to help him. No-one even appeared to notice him. His cheeks were burning, and his eyes welled up. He wanted to just disappear, to never have to walk down this road or any other ever again. To never see or be seen by anyone in case he somehow offended them.

After a few minutes he got back to his feet, and continued toward the shops. He entered the first bookshop he found, looking for the Academy's basic textbook. There was a row of new copies neatly lined up. Not surprising, it must be in great demand at this time of year. Naruto grabbed one, and took it to the counter, where a young man was engrossed in a book. The instant he saw Naruto, his eyes became cold.

"Whaddaya want, kid?" He asked. Naruto placed the book on the counter.

"Um. How much is this?" He asked. The man took a look at it.

"Oh, that's five hund…I mean one thousand…five hundred ryo. Yeah, 1500 in total." Naruto was shocked. That was more than half his total grant from the director. He took out his small money packet. He'd been hoping to have enough left over to get some ramen at Ichiraku's. He didn't like the man there very much, but he was the only shopkeeper who didn't look at him with those cold eyes, and his daughter was the person he liked most in the whole village. Whenever he was there she would always sit and talk to him, and he had a suspicion that she added extras to his ramen whenever her father wasn't looking. Didn't look like that would happen tonight though. He pulled out a crumpled 2000 ryo note and handed it to the shopkeeper, who put it away and gave him some change.

Naruto was outside of the shop before he thought to count it. There was only two hundred ryo in his hand. He went back inside. The shopkeeper glared at him.

"The hell'd you want now?" He asked.

"Ummm…I don't think you gave me enough change." Naruto said.

"What? Sure I did."

"I only have two hundred ryo here, it should have been five hundred." Naruto told him.

"Well, I gave you five hundred, you musta lost some." The man sneered. Naruto didn't see how he could possibly have lost any in the space of less than a minute.

"No, you definitely didn't." He replied adamantly, rage and frustration building within him. The man's eyes narrowed even further, they were almost shut.

"You calling me a liar, stupid brat?" He asked. Something in tone, in his sneer, in his hateful expression, made Naruto snap. He started screaming at the man.

"Yeah I'm calling you a liar you dumbass idiot!" He yelled. Everyone in the shop and most of the people passing by were looking by now. "Now give me the rest of my money or….or….or I'll burn down your shop and rip up every book here!" It might not have been the smartest thing to say, but Naruto wasn't in the mood to consider that.

"That's it kid, you're outta here." The man said. He reached over the counter, grabbed handful of Naruto's t-shirt and threw him bodily through the door and into the street. Naruto landed badly, grazing an elbow and a knee and dropping his new book (at least he hadn't taken the shrink-wrap off, but the spine was still pretty dented).

"And don't ever come back!" The man yelled. For a couple of minutes he did nothing but sit in the road screaming every curse in his six-year-old vocabulary at the shopkeeper, who ignored him.

It wasn't until he began to calm down that he saw the people around him. They were all staring at him with eyes full of undisguised hatred. They were whispering amongst themselves, and he kept hearing snatches of it.

"A complete monster…"

"Should have been put down…"

"Do you think he's dangerous?"

"…not surprising considering who he is though…"

"…can't believe the Hokage lets him…"

His cheeks were burning. He got to his feet, and tore away down the street, bowling past people as fast as he could. Knowing his luck the Orphanage would hear about this. They'd probably heard already. Whenever he did anything at all someone would complain to Director Hozuki, which usually ended with Naruto getting an earful.

He didn't really feel like going back to the orphanage yet, and he definitely didn't feel like going shopping any more. There was only one thing to be done.

There was a little place, just inside a grove of trees near the east gate, where the branches of several trees twisted together in such a way as to form what was almost a natural platform. It was easily strong enough to support his weight, and when he was on it he was completely invisible to people passing below. The canopy provided a decent windbreak and the climb required stepping on branches too small to support the weight of an adult. It was his favourite place. Once he had stayed there for five days straight before his food ran out and he got hungry. No-one had missed him while he was gone. Most didn't seem to have noticed. He went there now and, after checking that no-one was watching, climbed into the tree.

He liked this place even more than the swings, but he still went there more often just because there was always the chance that this time there might be someone to play with. He was nothing if not persistent. Still, there wasn't much chance of that happening today. Everyone had probably already been warned that he was on a rampage or something, and to keep their children indoors. He sighed and stretched out, taking the wrapping off his now battered textbook.

He knew that the language was fairly basic, but he was still having trouble reading it. It wasn't like he had much practice reading. The orphanage had some books, but every time he ever tried to get one it would turn out that that was just the book that someone else had wanted to read at that moment. Eventually he had given up and never got into the habit of reading anything. He gamely struggled through the introduction, but pretty soon gave up, fell back and went to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: So there it it, the first chapter of what I hope will be many. A lot of NaruHina fics, if they mention Hinata's mother at all, make her a kind and compassionate woman to contrast with Hiashi's forceful and somewhat overbearing personality. I wanted to go a different route. If that bothers you, then remember that these encounters are told from Naruto's six-year-old perspective, and aren't necessarily representative of reality, they're just how he sees things. As for Naruto being, well, a bit emo here: I always imagined that the Naruto we actually meet at the beginning of the series was only as happy and well-adjusted as he was becuase he did have SOME form of friendship at the academy. Flashbacks show him getting on well with Choji, Shikamaru and Kiba, and he clearly had some form of distant regard for Sasuke. This is before he had ANYONE to socialise with, and so he's a lot more somber and morose.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

**So here's chapter two. It isn't as long as chapter one was, because I got through everything that needed to be said in fewer words. As was mentioned at the top of this chapter, this fic was inspired by the fanfics of Shawny Wong, particularly _One Small Step. _These can be accessed through my favourite authors page, and any NaruHina fans who haven't read it really should. Also, thank you to all of you who left reviews. It's nice to know I'm not just shouting into a void!**

Chapter Two

It was tradition that parents came to the Academy's entrance ceremony to watch their child be formally accepted into Konoha's ninja training programme. No-one came to watch Naruto. Even director Hozuki was supposedly busy. There were dozens of other students, and even more parents watching their children, but no-one had come to watch him.

Not that they weren't. He could hear them even now, whispering about him as always. Whispering that he shouldn't be there, that he should never be a ninja, that he was a delinquent, that the village would be better without him. He wondered if they thought he couldn't hear them, or if they simply didn't care. He scanned the crowed, and his eyes met those of the woman he'd bumped into the week before, the woman who shouted at him for talking to her daughter. Did that mean…

Sure enough, the girl was there, in the crowd of new students not too far away from him. He considered going and talking to her after the ceremony was over, just to see the reaction of her parents. But then, maybe her mother hadn't been joking when she threatened to kill him.

Naruto was wearing his best clothes, a black shirt and trousers, but they were still old, ragged-looking hand-me-downs, and he stood out from the rest of the students in their immaculate formal ninja garb, much of which was no doubt purchased specially for the occasion.

Old man Hokage was making a tiresome speech about honour, dedication and justice, or some such. Naruto drifted in and out. He liked the old man, who often took the time to come and visit him in the orphanage to see how he was doing, but he couldn't really focus on the speech, he was too busy scanning the faces in the crowd to see if there was anyone he recognised.

There wasn't of course. Well, some of them he'd seen around. They were the ones whose parents took them to the park when he left. Sometimes he passed them on the way, seeing them smiling and laughing, and wished he could join them.

Eventually the speeches all finished, and they were all officially Academy Students. The Hokage and the instructors all began to circulate around, talking to parents, introducing themselves to pupils, asking after former students and networking. Naruto had no-one there for him, so no-one spoke to him.

Over in the corner, hanging from a huge tree, there was a simple swing made from nothing more than a rope and a bit of wood. It was out of the crowd, and Naruto sat down on it, thankful not to have all of those people around him. How long he was sat there, he had no idea. Eventually though, none other than the old man appeared suddenly before him, bending down on one knee to see eye-to-eye.

"How are you today, Naruto?" He asked. Naruto grinned in spite of himself.

"Hey hey old man!" Naruto "I'm a trainee ninja now, you shouldn't address me in such a familiar fashion!" The old man laughed an uproarious laugh.

"When you get to be my age, and also the Hokage, then you can address people however you like!" He spluttered.

"Well it just so happens that I AM going to be Hokage someday!" Naruto replied.

"Well good luck. There are a lot of promising looking people here. You'd better train hard if you want to beat them!" The Hokage said, straightening up. Someone had appeared behind him, trying to get his attention. Naruto looked up. It was a tall man, with long dark hair and the same white eyes without pupils. Naruto could see that the cruel woman was standing nearby, although neither of them seemed to have noticed him.

"Sandaime Hokage-sama." The man said. The old man nodded his approval "I would like to introduce you to my daughter. Hinata, this is the Hokage." Naruto suddenly noticed the girl he'd seen the other day at the park, standing behind the man as if she was trying to hide herself. She did, however, give the Hokage a very stiff looking bow and mumble that she was pleased to meet him. The Hokage smiled warmly.

"I'm very pleased to meet you also, Hinata-san. I'm sure you will become a proud addition to this academy. And if I may ask, Hiashi-sama, how is Hanabi doing?" To Naruto's eyes it seemed that there was some part of this question that irritated the man, but he couldn't be sure, or even begin to guess why it might be.

"She is fine, Hokage-sama." The man replied. "Her chakra network has developed nicely, and she shows signs already that suggest that she will also be a powerful ninja when she comes of age." His voice carried the faintest hint of disappointment that Naruto, always adept at noticing small emotional cues (the better to know when to leave a situation alone) could not help but pick up on. He was clearly comparing Hanabi, whoever she was, to someone else. Naruto's eyes fell on the girl, who was looking down on the ground with evident misery. That must be it.

After some tedious-sounding (to Naruto anyway) small talk, the Hokage turned to the girl and spoke. "Hinata-san, I would like to introduce you to a soon-to-be classmate of yours. This," he said, indicating Naruto, "Is Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, this is Hinata of the Hyuuga clan." Naruto heard a sharp intake of breath from both the man and his wife, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. The old hag could hardly fault him for talking to her daughter if he had been introduced by old man Hokage, could she? He leaped off the swing to land in front of Hinata, causing her to draw back slightly.

"Pleased to meetcha, Hinata-chan!" He said, striving to make it as informal as he could get away with. He grinned his widest grin and stuck his hand out instead of bowing. Hinata gasped, and her face turned red. Her father's eyebrow twitched fractionally, and even out of the corner of his eye Naruto could see her mother's lips purse so thin that they might have been pink noodles.

"Y-y-yes. It is a pleasure to meet you as well…. N-Naruto-san." She replied, bowing instead of taking his hand. Naruto glanced to her parents. Could he get away with it? _Ah, what the hell. What's the old coot and his hag wife gonna do with the Hokage standing right here? _

"Jeez, Hinata-chan. That's too much!" He said, grinning a sweetly devilish grin. "You should say 'How are you doing, Naruto-kun' or 'what's up, Naruto?' We're gonna be classmates after all!"

"Ah." Hinata squeaked, looking up at her parents, both of whom were doing an excellent job of staying composed.

"Well, come on Hinata." The man said. "We should introduce you to the teacher."

"Yes father." The girl said. As the man led her away, she turned back to look at Naruto, who swore that he could see the faintest flicker of a smile cross her lips. He looked up at the Hokage, who was trying, and failing, not to chuckle at Naruto's antics.

"Who's the family with the funny eyes, old man?" He asked, innocently. The Hokage surpressed another smile.

"That's the main family of the Hyuuga clan." He replied. "They are one of the most powerful, and certainly the richest, clans in Konoha."

"Jeez." Naruto said. "Maybe that old lady was telling the truth when she said she'd kill me." He muttered to himself. If the Hokage heard he didn't say anything. It was far from the first death threat that Naruto had had, and the boy was pretty sure most of them weren't meant seriously, although that was small comfort.

"You shouldn't have done that, Naruto." The old man said.

"Ah, come on old man!" Naruto replied. "It was just a bit of fun."

"It may be harmless fun to you, but did you think about her?" The Hokage asked him, bending down to look him in the eye again.

"Whaddaya mean?" Naruto asked.

"Well you put her on the spot." The Hokage pointed out. "You made it so she either had to be rude by ignoring you, or say something in front of her parents that she knew they wouldn't like her to say." All of a sudden Naruto felt very guilty. The old man was right. Why was it that his pranks were so much less fun when the Hokage reasoned with him than they were when he just got shouted at?

"It's ok, Naruto. You can apologise to her later on, in class. I'm sure she'll forgive you." Naruto smiled again, but inwardly he doubted it.

* * *

Hinata sat at dinner with her parents and some of the Uchiha family in the most exclusive restaurant in Konoha. They were not that close to the Uchiha family, but as the two largest and most powerful clans in Konoha, both famed for their eye-based bloodline jutsu, it was important to maintain at least some links. Besides, the younger Uchiha boy was entering the academy at the same time as Hinata, and great things were expected of him already. Both families had gathered to hold a celebration in honour of their children's new status.

Even at the tender age of six Hinata knew that she would be measured against Uchiha Sasuke. Both of them were scions of major clans, and both clans were famed for producing incredibly strong shinobi. Hinata's cousin Neji, who had only been an Academy student for a year, was already capable of sparring with genin level ninja and coming off best. Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, on the other hand, was way beyond even that. Perhaps the most promising prospect in Konoha, he was widely tipped to be Hokage someday.

Sasuke already seemed like he would be able to live up to his family's expectations. Hinata wished she was as sure about herself. And if he turned out to be a genius ninja like his brother, it would only reinforce her father's perception of her as a weakling.

She ate silently, watching as Sasuke bickered good-naturedly with Itachi, who was holding Sasuke's chopsticks out of reach above his head. A sharp look from their father caused the two of them to start shaking with silent laughter. Hinata didn't even need to look to know that her father strongly disapproved of such raucous behaviour, but she envied the two of them their easy humour. All she could feel was a tightening knot of fear and shame growing in her stomach, which hadn't been helped by her introduction to Uzumaki Naruto earlier that day.

He had leaped off the swing and immediately addressed her in the most familiar way he could think of. She wouldn't have minded if her parents weren't there. She could tell that they were outraged that the situation had come about at all, but they couldn't very well ignore the Hokage. The boy's rudeness had only made the situation worse.

All she could think to do was to mumble the politest greeting she could muster and then keep her mouth shut, lest she accidentally say or do anything to incur the wrath of her father later on. She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard Naruto's name mentioned by her father.

"I can't believe that they allowed the boy in. Uzumaki Naruto is a danger to this village." He was saying. Hinata looked at Uchiha Fugaku. He was nodding his agreement, but he didn't seem entirely convinced.

"I suppose it was inevitable though." Her mother said. "He has the favour of the Hokage, which seems to overrule any common sense or logic where he is concerned."

"Well I can't see the harm in it myself." Sasuke's mother Mikoto said. "He's only six years old. I don't think you can claim that someone no older than Sasuke or Hinata-chan presents a clear or present danger to the entire village just through learning a few basic jutsu."

"How can you say that?" Hiashi asked. "You know very well what he is. And even if you're right, which I'm far from willing to admit, the boy is still a delinquent trouble-maker. For some reason the Hokage saw fit to introduce Hinata and he to each other, and he was so rude to her that I thought I might have to deal with him right there."

Hinata was absorbed in the conversation. She noticed that even Sasuke had broken off from trying to steal his brother's forehead protector and was paying close attention to what was being said.

"Well I suppose that he simply hasn't been taught proper etiquette yet." Mikoto offered. "No doubt after a term at the Academy someone will see fit to give him a few pointers."

"It wasn't just a lack of etiquette." Her mother replied. "It was quite deliberate. I think he was trying to offend or embarrass her. Actually, I'm very proud of the way she handled the situation. She utterly refused to stoop to his level." Her mother smiled warmly at Hinata, who perked up a little.

"Thank you." She replied, softly.

"And what was your impression of Uzumaki Naruto, Hinata-san." Fugaku asked. Suddenly all eyes were on her.

"Oh…w-w-well…that is…" She stammered. Her father cut her off.

"Speak properly when someone asks you a question, Hinata." He barked sharply.

"S-sorry father. W-well, I thought he looked very sad, all by himself on that swing. I hope Hokage-sama noticed too." She said after a few seconds thought. It was not the answer her father had been looking for. She wilted under his gaze. "But I thought he was very rude as well, of course." That seemed to pacify him a little.

"You're to stay away from him, Hinata." Hiashi said. "That boy is dangerous, and nothing but trouble. I won't have you being swayed from your path by him." She was astounded by the vitriol in her father's usually level voice.

"Yes, father." She replied. The conversation turned to less confrontational matters, but every so often Hinata noticed Uchiha Mikoto giving her a sympathetic glance.

Could Naruto really be so bad? Her parents were so adamant that he was that there must be something to it. She was curious to know what it might be. She could understand if it was just rudeness, her parents wouldn't want her to pick up bad habits or manners, but how could a six-year-old child be as dangerous as they said he was? It just didn't make any sense at all.

Perhaps she would try and get to know him after all, she thought with a tiny, illicit thrill of rebellion.

**A/N: So there's chapter two. From next chapter Academy based hijinks will begin to ensue, so stick around!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

**So here's chapter 3. Thanks again to all those who've left reviews, especially to Rose Tiger and wisdom-jewel, both of whom reviewed both chapters so far. It's nice to know that they aren't terrible enough to stop you reading! **

**Chapter Three**

Hinata blushed furiously and avoided making eye contact with anyone. Naruto was sitting next to her. He was actually sitting next to her.

It was the first proper day at the Academy, and class was yet to start. They had all been directed to come to this classroom, and when no teacher had shown up they had all started milling around. Children who already knew each other huddled in groups, some playing slap-hands or other small games, some talking and joking, and other by themselves daydreaming. She had said a timid hello to Sasuke Uchiha, but he was surrounded by other students, and she wasn't really sure if he'd heard her or not and was too shy to say it again. It wasn't surprising that he was popular. He was friendly, kind to everyone and people already knew that he would be a great ninja when he grew up.

The teacher had shown up, apologising for being late. He was a tall chunin with long hair tied back, and a scar running horizontally across the bridge of his nose. He had introduced himself as Umino Iruka and said that he was sure they would all get along fine. Then he had asked them to stand in a big circle at the front of the class and all introduce themselves to each other. Hinata found herself going first, and stammered out an introduction in her usual nervous tone, before directing her eyes to the floor. After a couple more of the children introduced themselves she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm the boy who's gonna be Hokage someday, you can all count on it!" She looked up. There he was, across the circle from her, glaring around as if daring the others to ignore what he was saying. There were frantic whispers running around the group, and some supressed giggles. Hinata looked at their teacher Iruka. There was a look in his eyes. It only lasted a second or two, but Hinata caught it. Somewhere between a flash of anger and something else…sadness maybe?

"Hokage?" One boy protested (was his name Kiba or something, he looked wild anyhow). "Yeah right, like you could ever become Hokage!"

"Don't underestimate me. You just watch!" Naruto replied.

"I'm watching!" the boy whose name might be Kiba yelled back, idly cracking his knuckles. The gesture was not missed by Naruto.

"Come on then, let's go right now!" Naruto shouted, grinning widely. He clearly loved the attention he was getting. Their teacher cleared his throat loudly.

"Naruto-kun. Please refrain from shouting in this classroom." Iruka said.

"Yeah, I get it already." Naruto retorted, but he did cool off a little and back down. A lot of the other students were glaring at him, or whispering about him, but Hinata couldn't help but smile. He had such energy and life in him. When he had declared that he would be Hokage, there was not a trace of self-doubt in him. She was jealous.

"What're you staring at, Hinata-chan?" She heard him ask. She went beet-red. She hadn't even realised that she had been staring at him. Suddenly all eyes were on her. She shrunk back.

"No… well, nothing Naruto-san."

"That's enough, Naruto-kun." Iruka said. "Do I need to send you out of class before you've even sat down?" Personally Hinata thought that was a little unfair. It wasn't like Naruto had really done anything bad. She hoped he had the wisdom not to push it with the teacher.

"That's not fair, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled. "It's not like I've really done anything bad!"

Wisdom, it seemed, was not one of his strong points. She watched as Iruka led him out to the corridor, and told him to stand there for five minutes and cool down.

"Now, shall we get back to it?" Iruka asked. "Who's next?" After a few more minutes they had all introduced themselves, and Iruka-sensei directed them to the seats they'd be sitting in for the next year. Hinata was at the back, in the middle of a row. On one side sat another kunoichi in training. Hinata recognised her as a member of the Yamanaka clan, but couldn't remember what she'd said her name was. On the other side of her, the seat was empty.

She looked around; there were no other empty spaces in the classroom. Naruto had not been seated yet. Did that mean…

Sure enough, when Iruka opened the door and said the boy could come back in and sit down, he was pointing next to Hinata. The blond boy sidled back into the room and up to the back, dropping down into the seat next to her.

Next to her. Next to her. Next to her.

She couldn't breathe too well. What if he was actually as bad as her parents said he was? Would she become bad as well just from sitting next to him? What if he tried to talk to her? How should she respond? And even if he wasn't as bad as all that, she wasn't sure she could talk to him without clamming up. The teacher had left to get some materials he'd left in the staffroom, so all the students were talking amongst themselves. She hoped that Iruka would get back soon.

"What're you thinking about, Hinata-chan?" He asked out of the blue. She slowly turned to look. His face was inches from hers, and he was staring at her quizzically. He clearly had no concept of personal space at all! She blushed even harder. "Wow, you've gone red. Are you ok? Do you want to go see the medical ninja?" She mutely shook her head. "Ok…well…if you say so. Do you remember me? We met at the entrance ceremony! The old geezer introduced us." Hinata concealed her shock that anyone would talk about the Hokage in that fashion. Even her own father, one of the most powerful and influential men in the village, never failed to refer to him deferentially as Hokage-sama.

"Y-yes I remember, Naruto-san." She mumbled.

"Like I told you, Hinata-chan." He grinned. "You don't need to be so formal. Naruto-kun is fine. Or just Naruto if you want!" She gasped. She could never do that. It would be the height of rudeness! Every lesson her father had drilled into her on etiquette had said this. Always be as polite as you can get away with.

"I couldn't do that, Naruto-ku…. Naruto-san." She mumbled.

"Jeez, and you nearly had it there." He grumbled. "Umm…Hinata-chan?"

"Y-yes?" She timidly asked.

"Well…I'm sorry about the ceremony. I acted like a jerk…I guess." Hinata thought back to that day. She had been uncomfortable with the situation, but having thought about it for a while she didn't think she'd really minded too much. She had seen that it was really just the way he was. Besides, if he was apologizing, then surely the polite thing to do would be to accept it gracefully. That's what her father would have told her.

"Oh…that's fine, Naruto-san."

"Naruto-kun." He insisted.

"I couldn't!" She maintained.

"Fine." He sighed. "But by the end of the day I'll have made you say it!" He started laughing, just in time for the teacher to return.

After a few minutes for the students to settle down a bit the first lesson began. Hinata had everything ready to take notes, but as it turned out it wasn't really necessary. The teacher was talking about the basics of being a ninja. The ranks, the type of skills and personality that was needed for such work, the basics of what chakra was, and other things. It was all stuff that Hinata's father had made her memorise by about the age of four. She sat back, listening closely anyway just in case there was any new information, but she didn't feel the need to write anything yet. She noticed that most students were doing the same. She noticed the boy next to her shifting uncomfortably. He was looking around at everyone else.

"Umm…Iruka-sensei." He spoke up, and the teacher broke off.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, do you need me to clarify anything?"

"Umm…nothing like that. It's just, I haven't got a pen or paper or anything." Iruka's face darkened.

"You should've brought some, or said something earlier. It'll have to wait until after class now."

"But sensei, I'll never remember all this!" He said. Some of the class started snickering. Hinata was feeling nothing but pity for him. How dare they laugh at him? How would they like it if the situations were reversed?

"Sit down, Naruto!" Iruka said, almost shouting. Naruto sat down, slumped in his chair looking miserable. He looked deflated, almost like he was going to start crying.

"Umm…Naruto-san?" She whispered.

"Hmm?" He grunted, not even looking at her. She pushed a pen and paper along the desk to him.

"You…you can use these, if you like." He looked at her, stunned. Then his face brightened, stretching into a wide grin. She blushed, and looked down.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan. You're a good person!" He took the paper and immediately started scribbling notes. It was Hinata's turn to be stunned. He thought she was a good person. She couldn't stop herself from blushing again. Red seemed to be her natural colour these days. She'd only leant him a pen, that was all. A tiny thing like that couldn't make her a good person in his eyes could it? The rest of his life couldn't be that great if that was all it took. She looked over at him again. He was concentrating furiously on listening and writing things down.

His writing, she noticed, was atrocious. The characters were large and misformed, many of them were simply wrong, or mistaken for similar looking ones. The writing couldn't stay in neat lines either, but wondered across and around the page, frequently bumping into things he'd already written before looping back on itself and meandering in another direction. She was even sure that she'd seen one line cross another completely where they happened to both need the same character, so that one mark was filling in the middle of two words. She couldn't resist a small smile. Perhaps he should work with codes, because there wasn't a chance that anyone else would ever be able to read his writing!

She noticed that he'd quickly filled up both sides of the paper, and slid another sheet over to him before he'd even had time to ask. He beamed at her again, and set to work filling the page up with more scribbled notes. By the end of the lesson, he'd gone through five sheets of paper and was well on the way to filling a sixth. Just as Hinata had suspected, she hadn't needed to make a single note, it was all basic information. She suddenly noticed the teacher standing above their desk.

"Naruto-kun." Iruka said with a smirk on his face. "How do you ever expect to be able to read these notes again? I've seen toddlers who can write more neatly than this. Or perhaps they're in code, eh?" Hinata couldn't help but giggle softly.

"Well I wouldn't want sensitive information falling into the hands of enemy ninja, Iruka-sensei."

"I don't think you need to worry about that. Maybe we should see if any of your fellow students can begin to read these?" He grabbed the notes from the desk and started waving them around at some of the other students. A chorus of laughter followed the notes around the room. Hinata, however, was no longer giggling. She glared at Iruka-sensei's back and at all the students in the room who were laughing.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled around at no-one in particular. He leaped up onto the desk, and launched himself past Iruka-sensei's outstretched arm. It was a surprising graceful move. Rolling in mid-air, Naruto snatched the notes back, completed his rotation and landing on his feet on another desk.

"Naruto-kun." Iruka said. "Please refrain from jumping on desks, or I'll have you stand outside again."

"Like I care!" Naruto spat. He jumped down, folding the notes up and stuffing them in his pockets, and was out of the door in seconds, loudly slamming it behind him.

"Are we gonna have a troublesome person like that in our class all year, Iruka-sensei?" One of the other students piped up. Hinata had to supress the urge to punch him in the throat. She was surprised that such violent thoughts occurred to her. Maybe Naruto had already had a bad influence on her!

"Maybe not." Iruka replied, looking thoughtful. "Well, anyhow, we're going down to the gym now so I can gauge your taijutsu anyway. Everybody follow me please." The class filed out, and followed him down the corridor. They frequently passed other students in the halls. Hinata was certain that she caught sight of Neji, and wanted to wave to him, but he passed without seeing her.

Outside the windows in the corridor she could see the playground where the entrance ceremony had taken place. Naruto was sitting on the swing, staring at the ground and looking miserable. Surely he wouldn't want to miss taijutsu? The little stunt he'd pulled in the classroom made her think that he might be really suited for it or something. The same little rebellious urge that she'd felt in the restaurant when her parents were telling her to avoid Uzumaki Naruto surfaced again and, buoyed with a angry confidence that was completely unlike her, she did the bravest thing she'd ever done.

She dropped to the back of line, and stepped over to a window. Gently sliding it open, she leaned out and yelled.

"Naruto-san!" He looked up at her in shock. "The class is going to the gym for taijutsu practice. I don't… I mean WE don't think you should miss out!" A grin slowly spread over his face, and he leaped off the swing and took off towards the main entrance. She pulled her head back inside, and looked ahead. The entire class, including the teacher, was staring at her open-mouthed. The rush of bravery abruptly deserted her, and she stammered out a small apology, although she wasn't really sure if she'd done anything worth apologising for, in fact she didn't think she had.

When they reached the gym Naruto was already waiting for them there on a raised sparring platform, arms crossed and grinning.

"Jeez you're all so slow!" He laughed. Hinata was surprised to see that his grin was directed entirely at her. She was too shy to smile back, but she was definitely smiling inwardly.

"Naruto, since you're so confident, you can go first." Iruka-sensei said.

"Sure!" He beamed. "So what are we doing?" Iruka chuckled.

"I'm going to have to spar gently with one another for now, just to gauge where you all are in taijutsu. It's nothing to be frightened of, and I certainly don't want to see any injuries."

"Ah, ok then, bring it on!" He said, still beaming widely. "So who wants to get pulped?" Iruka sighed, but Hinata was sure she saw him suppressing a warm smile. Hinata was just jealous that Naruto could be so positive and enthusiastic all the time. She was dreading this.

It wasn't that she was bad at taijutsu. Her family had been training her in jyuuken since she was three, and she knew the form very well, but whenever it came time to put it into practice, her confidence deserted her and her body never did what she wanted it to. That Naruto could be so unconcerned about it all almost made her hate him, just a little. The feeling passed as quickly as it came though.

"Let's see…" Iruka looked around. "How about you, Uchiha Sasuke?" Sasuke smiled and nodded, climbing up onto the sparring platform.

"Now, I'm just looking to see what your moves are like." Iruka said. "This isn't to be a serious fight." Both children nodded. Hinata noticed that they were both twitching with anticipation, it certainly didn't seem like either of them were thinking of a relaxed sparring bout.

"Ready?" Iruka asked. Both nodded. "Begin!"

Truth be told, Hinata was expecting the fight to be over as soon as it began. Sasuke had been trained by Itachi, and she knew that he practiced excessively. From the way he moved she could see that his form was flawless. He was quick and strong for a six-year-old and he knew exactly what he was doing. She could see Iruka-sensei nodding approvingly.

And yet he was completely unable to land a single clean hit on Naruto, and Hinata could not work out why. Naruto moved like an amateur. It was clear that he had no formal training of any kind. It wasn't that he had bad form. He had no form at all. He was fast, but Sasuke was clearly faster. But Sasuke wasn't winning. In fact, more of Naruto's strikes seemed to connect than Sasuke's. Naruto's moves were simply so unpredictable and counterintuitive that Sasuke had trouble guarding against them. It was like Naruto had simply seen other people practicing taijutsu and picked it up from watching as best as he could. And somehow he made it work. It was just like him somehow. He just muddled through.

Hinata's jealousy grew, but so did her sense of admiration. Before she knew it, she was inwardly cheering for Naruto. She watched as he jumped over a flawlessly executed leg sweep and landed on his hands, striking backwards with a kick before rolling back to his feet.

The fight went on for several minutes, and the other students were really beginning to get into it. Most of them were cheering solidly for Sasuke to win, but she was sure she heard at least one voice cheering for Naruto as well. She was just surprised when she realised that it was her. Her nerves overcame her again, and she quickly hushed up.

After a few minutes more it became clear that there was not going to be a clear victor. Both of the boys were slowing down and losing focus. Iruka stepped in between the two of them, catching two punches with ease.

"Very impressive Sasuke." He said. "Your form is flawless and with a little practice you'll do very well." He turned to Naruto. "You did ok." It was all he said. Hinata was sure that it was deflate Naruto, who was still grinning, but he just grinned all the wider.

"That was awesome!" He chuckled. "Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei! Can I go again against someone else?"

Hinata watched as Iruka-sensei tried really hard not smile (and failed utterly).

"Naruto, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I need to grade your fellow students."

"Aww man…" Naruto said.

None of the other match-ups were so exciting. Most were bland displays of uninspired taijutsu by young students who had neither Sasuke's extensive training, nor Naruto's unbridled enthusiasm and natural athleticism. When it came time for Hinata's spar she was matched up against the Yamanaka girl.

She knew from the start she was outmatched. In fact, she knew even before the start. She tried to strike first, and tried to follow all the steps she had been taught, but they deserted her like usual. Her strikes were telegraphed and powerless, and her footwork was far too sloppy. It was the same old story, no matter how she tried she would never get any better. She was coming to believe that her father was giving up on her ever properly mastering jyuuken. Given her abysmal performance, who could blame him if he did?

Someone else, however, obviously thought differently. Naruto was jumping up and down, waving his arms and shouting encouragement for her. He was the only person cheering for either of them. It was sort of embarrassing really, but she was grateful nonetheless. Not that it would be a difference, she still wasn't any good.

One of her opponents strikes knocked her down. She slowly sat up, and pleadingly looked at the teacher. Iruka-sensei caught her eye and nodded.

"Ok stop!" he said. "Ino-san, your taijutsu is good, although there are some unnecessary movements that we'll try to focus on correcting." He turned to Hinata. "I don't understand Hinata. I can tell that you know how to do this, so why aren't you?" There was a shade of disappointment in his voice, but it was not unkind, like her father's often was. He seemed upset that she wasn't able to do her best for herself.

When everyone had finished they started work on basic taijutsu drills and forms, and Iruka-sensei tailored each of their practices based on what he'd seen. They spent the rest of the day working on these exercises.

When it was time to go home again Hinata slowly packed her bag and walked to the gates. Her parents had instructed her to walk home by herself, but she thought that she might go via the park first.

She was surprised to see Naruto leaning on one of the gateposts, and even more surprised when he straightened up and sidled up to her, falling in beside her as she walked.

"Hey, Hinata-chan." He said, smiling. She blushed and smiled back, but did not speak.

"You know, that was so lame in there!" He said, laughing. "I mean, you gave up so easily!" She hung her head in embarrassment, something which he must have seen.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that." He said, slapping her on the back. "You shouldn't be so down, Hinata-chan. I just meant that, if you didn't give up like that, I bet you'd totally have kicked that Ino girl's butt!" He grinned widely again, and she couldn't help but feel a little better.

"And you know," he began. "When everyone else in there was cheering so loudly for Sasuke…I know I heard someone calling my name too." He paused, it went on for a while. His expression was confused, as if he really didn't know quite what to say. In the end, he only managed a few words.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan."

"You're welcome, Naruto-san." She replied, blushing and looking the other way.

"Man, I told you, say Naruto-kun." He admonished her. She shook her head. "Bet I can make you say it before the end of the day."

He rolled his eyes, before tapping her on the shoulder and running off.

"Tag, you're it." He shouted.

"I bet you can't, Naruto-kun." She whispered to his fleeing back, before speeding up to give chase, and unrestrained grin on her face.

**A/N: This one got away from me a little. There was another bit planned from Naruto's perspective, followed by yet another scene from another perspective entirely. Hinata's self-conscious musings knocked them back until this was almost 4000 words, so those scenes will have to be saved for another chapter. Also, I realised halfway through writing this that Naruto and Kiba didn't actually share a class until their 4th(?) year in the Academy, but I decided to fudge the canon a little in the name of some things that might happen later on.**

**Finally, I know that Iruka-sensei was a jerk in this chapter, you'll have to wait and see what I have planned for him! Hope you all enjoyed!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Here's chapter four for all my wonderful readers. Thank you again to everyone who reviewed, especially... Heck, you all deserve to be named. So thank you to wisdom-jewel, Tachaun demon of the leaf, Lylac, Rose Tiger, Okazaki323, Dragon Man 180, Cassa-di-di loves NaruHina, Echo Uchiha, miner249er, Gravity The Wizard, infiniteternity, KantonKageX, The Gandhara and Yuriski-1st. It means a lot to know that people are reading, since I figured I'd get like five hits and that's it or something.**

**My email keeps telling me that people are adding this to their story alerts. Guys and gals, I'd love to hear what you think. Even if it's just "this story is such a trainwreck that I alerted it because I couldn't look away." Although if you say that please tell me why as well!**

**Yuriski-1st: You are right of course. However, I always figured that the Hokage was an old man past his prime, who spent most of his time doing village work that he no longer really had the energy for, and hence didn't always have enough time for Naruto, or at least that's how I'm gonna use him for now.**

**Anyhow, enough chit-chat, down to the story.**

**Chapter Four  
**

By the end of the first day of the academy, Naruto had the impression that Iruka didn't like him much. By the end of the first week, he had the certainty that Iruka hated him. That didn't bother him that much, not like it was new, right? The only person in the school who he really spoke to at all was Hinata, and she was so shy that conversations with her never lasted very long. Most of the other students were ok, even if a few of them clearly despised him. The biggest surprise was Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto had initially been put off by him. He was very friendly, but he was also a complete know-it-all and wasn't afraid to demonstrate that he already knew everything the teacher was teaching them and more.

Still, when they had sparred on the first day it had been one of the best moments Naruto could remember for a really long time. It had gone on for several minutes longer than it should have, and it was awesome. There was exhilaration in being constantly on the edge. The feeling that one false move or accidental slip-up would spell the difference between victory and defeat somehow took all the fear out of him. He could concentrate a hundred percent on it, and everything else went away: the hatred, the fear, the knowledge that once it was over everything would be back to normal.

He couldn't help but ask to go again once it was over. Naruto had never formally studied anything resembling taijutsu. He had seen older ninja practicing it against each other before, and he had tried to replicate what he saw when he was alone. He had often had light-hearted scraps with other orphans (and, often, not so light-hearted scraps) and he had tried to put what he had seen to use, but most of the time he would forget what he was doing and just go with the flow, relying on his natural speed and stamina to make up for lack of training. Against Sasuke it had worked.

Later on that day he had caught Sasuke looking at him with bright fire in his eyes, and a face that said "We're gonna fight again". Naruto had nodded his assent. Other than Hinata, he would describe Sasuke as his closest friend, and the two of them had barely spoken to each other at all.

If fighting with Sasuke had been one of the best things to happen to him, then Hinata was the best. That day, he had been nervous about what he was going to do. He tried not to let on at all, but he couldn't help it. So when he had tagged her and ran away, he was expecting her to be too shy, or too prim, or even just unwilling to play with him. But play she had. The two of them had raced all over Konoha, breathless with the effort of it, tagging and re-tagging each other. It had only lasted a couple of hours before she had said that she'd better go home or her father would be mad.

The next day she had been her usual, distant, shy self again, and Naruto was devastated. For the first half of the day she merely squeaked one word answers back at anything he might ask her, and even when she opened up a bit she was still timid. He wondered if something had happened at home, but even he had the sense not to ask that. He'd asked her if she wanted to play tag again, but she said she had to be home early and so she couldn't today.

Still, it had happened once, and Naruto was sure that it would happen again; he just had to keep working at it like he usually did.

So why, if children like Hinata and Sasuke could be his friends, could someone older and wiser like Iruka-sensei not see the same potential in him? It was so unfair.

The chuunin teacher never missed an opportunity to punish or scold Naruto for any minor misdemeanour he might commit, and he would often do so in front of the entire class to really rub salt into the wounds. Frequently he would ignore Naruto's questions, even if he had he hand up like he was supposed to, or mock him for not knowing the answer to such a simple thing. He never did that for anyone else. Even in taijutsu, where Naruto was one of the best students in the class, he never had even one word of praise for him. Most of them time he wouldn't even look at him.

Naruto knew he needed to be patient. He knew he needed to give them time to come around. He had seen it before. The other children in the orphanage were all older than him, and none of them had really liked him either until recently. Now most, although by no means all, of them had warmed up to him, even if he really couldn't call them friends. He knew that if he pressed on regardless and proved himself, Iruka would come around.

It was so unfair though. Why should he have to prove himself to anyone? No-one ever worried about proving themselves to him. He was sick of giving other people a chance when no-one would ever give him one, but he knew that he could do nothing about it but stick it out. He wouldn't change anything by whining about how unfair it was.

He told himself these things every minute of every day, until it was ingrained to his very core. _Must try better, must work harder, must prove to them that I'm worthy of their attention. _Sometimes that helped him get through a day of Iruka's taunts, sometimes it didn't.

One morning, about a week after he'd started at the Academy, he was awoken early by a knock on the door to his room. Recently several of the orphans had left the orphanage to be moved into the subsidised apartments that Konoha provided for older students and ninja, so there were currently enough bedrooms free that Naruto didn't have to share, and he was loving the freedom it gave him to be messy.

He tripped over three toys, a t-shirt and some underwear that had been left on the floor before making it to the door. He opened it a crack. One of the assistants, a young medical ninja in training, was standing outside the door.

"Naruto-kun." She said. "There's someone in the entrance hall that's come to visit you." She turned on her heels and strode away down the corridor. Naruto like Ami-san. She was always sharp with him and never talked to him much, but she was like that with everybody there. It was just nice to be treated the same as everyone around him. He quickly got dressed and made his way downstairs.

The only visitor Naruto ever got was the Hokage. Still, he entertained ludicrous fantasies that perhaps it was Hinata, or Sasuke, or maybe even his parents (who, it turned out in his imagination, were not dead after all but returned from some super-secret incredibly important ninja mission to take him to live with them). He'd had these thoughts before, and they always fizzled out just as he was getting to the good bits where his parents taught him a kick-ass top secret S-rank jutsu.

He tried hard not to be disappointed when, as he suspected, he saw the Hokage waiting for him in the entrance hall. The old man was smiling kindly.

"How are you, Naruto-chan?" He asked, with a friendly smirk on his face.

"Jeez, old man." Naruto laughed. "I told you, have to call me Naruto-san now, or Naruto-kun, or maybe The Almighty Naruto-sama. Get it?" The Hokage laughed along with him, but Naruto was sure he saw a glint of sadness in his eyes.

"I thought we might go for a little walk around the village, if you like." The old man said. "I have a break in my schedule that needs filling with something more interesting than paperwork." Naruto's face brightened.

"I'd like that!" He replied. "But I'll need to go and get my school stuff first, and then I can go straight to the Academy afterwards." The Hokage nodded his assent, and Naruto tore upstairs again.

It was a wonderful, sunny morning, of the kind that the Land of Fire often got. There had been rain the previous night, so the sunlight sparkled over everything it touched and there was an invigorating chill still in the air. It was still early, and very few people were about. As they walked they made small-talk for a few minutes before Naruto noticed a dark look come across the Hokage's face.

"And what do you think of the Academy, Naruto-kun?" He asked. Naruto tried to conceal the twinge of distaste that crossed his face, but he knew the old man would have seen it, he saw everything.

"Well…" He began. "It's great! I've made loads of friends, and the teachers are all really nice, and everyone accepts me…and…and…" He trailed off, despairingly trying to come up with more lies.

"Is that really how it is, Naruto-kun?"

"Well…" Then Naruto started talking, and did not stop for ten minutes.

* * *

Iruka paused before knocking at the door to the Hokage's office. He had been dreading this moment, ever since a note was left on his desk asking him to go directly to the Hokage's office after school was finished. He could guess straight away what it would be about. He had seen the Hokage walk Naruto to the Academy gates that morning. When he became an instructor, he had known that there was a chance that Uzumaki Naruto would end up in his classes, but there was a difference between knowing it might happen, and it actually happening. He needed to compose himself. The Hokage was sure to be angry when he heard what Iruka had to say.

He finally pulled himself together, and knocked lightly on the door. It swung open by itself, and Iruka stepped through. The Hokage was sat behind his desk, scrutinising Iruka closely even before he was fully in the room, and there were two chairs facing that desk, one of which was already occupied by another man, who had swung around to look at him.

The man was old, although maybe not quite as old as the Hokage himself. A stout walking stick sat next to the chair, but he proudly wore a Konoha forehead protector and ninja garb. Iruka was sure he'd seen him somewhere, but couldn't place him.

Iruka walked slowly and mechanically over to the other, and gently lowered himself into it. For a minute no-one spoke, before the Hokage broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Iruka, have you met Hozuki-san?" He asked. "The director of Konoha's orphanage." That was it. That only confirmed Iruka's suspicion. This meeting had definitely been called to talk about Naruto.

"It's a pleasure to meet the teacher of so many of my children." Hozuki said, but the tone of his voice was cold and distant.

"It's likewise a pleasure to meet you, Hozuki-san." Iruka replied. Hozuki nodded curtly.

"I'm sure you're aware of why I have called you here." The Hokage said, measuring each word softly.

"Uzumaki…Naruto." Iruka said, staring at the floor.

"It might surprise you just how much I see of him." The Hokage said. "I suppose I feel some sense of responsibility for his predicament."

"Hokage-sama, I thi-" Iruka began.

"Don't interrupt me, Iruka." The Hokage cut him off. "I'm not ready for you to talk yet." His voice was ice cold. He showed no outward signs, but Iruka was pretty sure that this was as angry as he'd ever seen the old man.

"I spoke to Naruto this morning, and he told me a very interesting tale." The Hokage continued. "A tale of a boy, who tries his best at everything he does, who always aims to please others, even if maybe he sometimes goes a little far." Here he paused, letting it sink in.

"And maybe this boy can be tough to deal with, maybe he values attention more than is healthy, and maybe sometimes he lacks certain social graces." Iruka noticed that Hozuki was supressing a small chuckle.

"But in this story the boy is met with nothing but scorn, nothing but derision and hatred, even from those people, like his teachers and classmates, who should be more understanding. In this story he was telling, the boy cannot for his life understand why that should be so. He cannot understand why, no matter how hard he tries, his teacher seems to hate him. Do you perhaps see the moral of the story, Iruka?" His gaze was piercing, and Iruka could not meet it. He nodded dumbly.

"It so happens that I told Naruto a story of my own." The Hokage went on. "A story of another boy, much like the first, who had also struggled with the same problems, and also acted the fool to try to get people to notice him after losing those closest to him. And I told him how the boy stuck at it, and how he eventually won the respect and admiration of those around him. I went as far as to say that I would be proud to call the second boy a shinobi of Konoha." The meaning was not lost on Iruka, and he stifled a cry.

"Naruto heard this story, and I believe he took hope from it that perhaps the boy from the first story might have a similarly happy ending, if he just kept working as hard as he could in the same way. Iruka, it would disappoint me if I were to find out that my story was just a lie." He stopped. There was silence for another minute or so. Iruka could hear the clock ticking ever so slowly. The Hokage was right of course, he always was, and yet…

"Now Iruka, having heard and considered my story, are you quite sure that there was something you wanted to ask me?" The old man said, never breaking his gaze from Iruka.

"Hokaga-sama…I…I wish to request that Uzumaki Naruto be transferred from my class." He didn't think he had ever seen the old man look so disappointed. His expression was heart-breaking, and Iruka felt shame to the depths of his being.

"Perhaps I was wrong about you after all, Iruka-san." He said. Iruka directed his gaze to the floor, and didn't look up.

"Hokage-sama…it is for him as much as me." Iruka said. "I…I can't teach him. It is not fair for him to wallow in my class when he might do so much better in another!" Even as he said them the words rang hollow.

"You're making excuses, Iruka-san." The Hokage said.

"Hokage-sama…please…" Iruka wasn't even stifling his tears now. Tears of shame mixed with bitter tears of long-buried grief. "Whenever I see him…I see them…" The Hokage said nothing.

"Whenever I see him sitting there, with his grin permanently slapped across his face…it's like the monster who murdered my parents is sitting in the back row mocking me!" Grief turned to anger. How could the old man not understand this? There was another pause.

"Iruka…do you truly believe that Naruto is a monster?"

"How could I not?" Iruka yelled. "I was there that night! I fought the beast alongside hundreds of my friends. Many of them were freshly graduated genin like myself, and yet they were cut down without mercy. My mother and father…" He trailed off.

"Iruka. Naruto is not the Kyuubi, merely its vessel." The Hokage said sternly.

"I know!" Iruka retorted. He took a deep breath. "I…I know that. But every time I see him I can't help but think of them all. I have to teach knowing that, somewhere deep inside him, that…that THING is there." He had gotten to his feet without realising it. Again, the Hokage said nothing, merely letting Iruka vent his feelings.

"And even if Naruto can't help it, it's still sitting there in him, staring out through his eyes, mocking me with his grin, taunting me with his laughter." He slumped back down.

"Iruka. Do you know why I picked you to become an Academy Instructor?" The Hokage asked. "Even though you're only seventeen, and there were many who felt you were too young and inexperienced." Iruka looked up sharply. Of course he'd thought about this. He was the youngest teacher that the Academy had had since it was founded, and he had heard many whispers that said he should never have been picked.

"No. Hokage-sama." He said.

"You have a gift, Iruka." The old man replied. "You understand people. When you look at them, and talk to them, and get a feel for them, you know what they need and how you can help them." Iruka reflected on what the Hokage was saying.

"It's a dangerous gift on a battlefield, a double-edged sword. To empathise with the enemy can help you determine their weak points, but it can also lead you to hesitate when you should strike hard." He paused, giving Iruka some time to absorb this.

"But as a teacher, it is ideal." He continued. "You can see how you can best help each student to maximise their potential. I placed Naruto in your class because of this talent of yours. Indeed, I pressed for you to join the Academy staff so young largely because of him. I was hoping that my trust would not be misplaced." Again there was a hint of disappointment in his voice, and Iruka's shame welled up again. "I hoped that you would see past the Kyuubi, that you would see the brilliant, troubled, mischievous and well-meaning child who desperately needed the attention and support of a teacher who understood him." Iruka could take it no more, he burst into tears. The Hokage was right, of course he was right, he always was.

Why had he not seen? Hinata had confidence issues, he had seen it and designed his plan for her around it. Sasuke had the opposite problem, overconfidence, and he had designed lessons focused on teaching him that he could not do everything alone. Shikamaru was lazy, so he had given him exercises that engaged his creative thinking. With every other student he had seen their weakness and worked with it, but with one he had allowed his feelings to get in the way, and he hated himself for it. He wanted to turn in his resignation right then and there.

"Iruka." The Hokage said. "I understand your feelings. Everyone in Konoha lost people they cared about and loved that night." His eyes flicked down to a photo-frame on his desk, although from where Iruka was sitting he couldn't tell who or what was in the picture. "Give Naruto a chance. That is all I ask of you. If, after a few more weeks, you still find that you can't teach him, come back to me and perhaps I will consider your request, but I don't think it will be necessary." How was it that the Hokage always knew exactly what to say? Perhaps Iruka was not the only one with a gift. He nodded silently.

"Iruka-san." For the first time since the conversation had turned to Naruto, Director Hozuki spoke up. "I think you will learn to see the real Naruto. I was very much like you at first."

"How do you mean?" Iruka asked.

"Six years ago I was sitting where you are now, begging Hiruzen to allow me to place Naruto with someone else, even if it would have to be outside of the village." Iruka was shocked at his confession, and at how casually he addressed the Hokage.

"My wife and daughter were both killed in the attack, both fighting the Kyuubi, so when I was asked to look after Naruto it was like knife to the heart." He continued. "Every time the baby cried it was like the Kyuubi's roar to me, and every time he smiled I saw only a fox's malicious grin." He paused, and silence reigned.

"But you know…" He eventually continued. "Each passing day it was a little more difficult to see the monster. It's hard to see a monster in a toddler crying because he grazed his knee, or laughing as he played jump-rope with some of the other children. Although it's rare that they ever let him play with them." He paused again. "Give him a chance, Iruka-san. I'm an old man, as is Hiruzen, and we are not what the boy needs. But perhaps you are." For just a few minutes more, there was silence.

"I don't think we need to say any more." The Hokage said. "Iruka, you may go now." Iruka nodded and got up.

"It was nice to meet you, Hozuki-san." He said.

"It was nice to meet you as well, Iruka-san." The man replied, with genuine warmth this time.

"I would like to call on you at the Orphanage sometime soon to discuss Naruto, if it wouldn't be an imposition." Iruka continued. Hozuki smiled.

"I would have been disappointed if you hadn't asked." He replied.

Iruka left with a deep and humble bow.

* * *

In the evening Naruto hadn't wanted to go back to the Orphanage. A lot of the people he liked there had moved on, and there were a few people that remained that he really didn't get along with very well. He had wound up kicking a stone about the main street of Konoha, steadfastly ignoring the glares he was getting from passers-by. Let them glare if they wanted. He'd prove he was better than them by not rising to it.

He thought about going to the park, but found that he didn't really feel like it, or like going to his secret hiding place. So he wound up staying exactly where he was. At one point he spotted one of his classmates walking past, and invited him to come and play kick-the-stone as well, but the boy ignored him and walked on without a word. Oh well, he wasn't one of the nice ones anyway. In fact, Naruto told himself, he was probably too cool to play with that boy anyway.

He was surprised to see Iruka-sensei walk past as well, and even more surprised when the teacher saw him and stopped. He seemed to be hesitating, but after a few seconds of standing on the spot he actually came over to Naruto. The blond boy was stunned.

"Hey, Naruto…" Iruka-sensei began. Naruto said nothing, retaining a neutral expression.

"Umm…It so happens that I have a couple of coupons for bowls of ramen at Ichiraku." Iruka continued. "I was going to ask a friend of mine to go with me, but they're out on a mission."

Naruto didn't dare to hope that this was going where he thought it might be going.

"So if you fancy a bowl of ramen, we could go there now." Iruka said. "I need to talk to you about your progress anyway." The last bit seemed almost like a forced explanation, but Naruto didn't care.

He grinned widely, and the two of them walked up the street, towards Ichiraku Ramen.

**A/N: So there it was. Again, if you liked it, please review and say why. If you didn't like it, please review and especially say why. I know there wasn't much Hinata in this one, but don't worry Hinata fans. She's crashing about in my head right now, demanding I write some scenes with her in them. Next chapter will see a lot more of her, as well as some of the other students.**

**As I was doing a bit of research on Iruka's background, I discovered that there was a filler episode in Shippuuden that had a situation very much like what happens here. However, thinking about it I think this is more or less the only way it would have happened. Iruka wouldn't have been able to deal with having the beast that killed his parents sat in his class, but he's compassionate enough that it wouldn't take too much to bring him around. Still, this probably won't solve everything between them, because where would be the fun in that? :D**

**I don't know if it's stated when Iruka became a teacher. The databooks say he became a Chuunin at 16, and I'm guessing a teacher shortly afterwards.  
**


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